Hot Spring Vista Ozonator Not Working?

[Ultrarunner]

Hello all.  I am having a problem with my 2008 Vista.  Green and red light are on as normal.  Heater, jets and control panel are all working fine.  Only issue I am having is that the bubbles that usually rise from the bottom of the hot tub are nowhere to be seen.  Does this mean the ozonator is faulty?  I have tried the "vinegar" flush per manual but it only takes a tiny amount of vinegar about 9 inches up the tube and then stops.  I have cleaned all the filters and pushed water into the gray filter via hose, but still no bubbles!  Any ideas from the experts?

Thanks,

Ultrarunner.

[Spatech_tuo]

Lack of bubbles has nothing to do with the ozonator itself, it is somewhere between teh injector and the hose that connects to the ozoantor (or it could be a low flowing circ pump). The ozonator merely defines whether those bubbles are ozone or simply air.

I would question whether you have an issue with the check valve that sits in the line between the ozonator and the injector since you've already tried the vinegar flush. Its a simple/quick change. I'd get one from the dealer and try to swap it out. If its not the problem you'll simply end up with a spare check valve which isn't a bad thing because they can go bad over time anyway.

[soak-king]

The inner lining on my ozonator tubing separated from the outer wall once causing a blockage. I just replaced the tubing and the check valve that Spatech_tuo mentioned and all has been fine since then.

[Ultrarunner]

Thank you both for the replies.  I was all ready to buy the check valve and tubes this morning, so I checked the hot tub one more time.  Lo and behold, the bubbles were back!  There must have been some blockage that took time to go through?  Now I have one more issue....when I took off the tube from the bottom of the ozonator, the "nipple" where the tube attaches to the ozonator broke off at the bottom and now there is a small piece of plastic from the nipple in the tube itself.  When I pushed the tube back on to the nipple, it is not as tight as it used to be.  I suppose since there are bubbles, it must be working okay.  Should I be concerned about this?  Should I figure out some way to tighten the tube on the nipple?  Hope this makes sense....Thanks again for your help.

[soak-king]

If the nipple broke off the bottom of the ozonator then it might be just plain old air being pulled in thru the ozone injector. Out of curiosity could you hear or feel a slight humm or vibration in the ozone unit itself when you were inside the cabinet?

[Ultrarunner]

Actually, I did hear a humming noise from the ozonator.  What would you advise?  It's not as if I can order another nipple right? Would I have to order a whole new ozonator?

[Spatech_tuo]

Actually, I did hear a humming noise from the ozonator.  What would you advise?  It's not as if I can order another nipple right? Would I have to order a whole new ozonator?

If you can't repair it I don't know that you can buy the nipple separately but I know I'e taken a bad one off of an old ozonator and switched it to a good ozonator that had a broken nipple. Maybe the dealer can help you with this.

[soak-king]

Actually, I did hear a humming noise from the ozonator.  What would you advise?  It's not as if I can order another nipple right? Would I have to order a whole new ozonator?

If it was humming that means it should be working. 

If the nipple is broken then you are bleeding ozone inside your equipment compartment.   

I would get it fixed or replaced ASAP

[Ultrarunner]

The ozonator is definitely humming.  I put a small hose clamp around the hose just below the black plastic screw-on adapter that keeps the hose connected to the nipple.  The hose is now just as tightly fit to the nipple as before.  I think it should be good from here.  Thank you both for your assistance.  When I do swap out the check valve, do I just pull off the hose on each side of the existing one?  It seems very tight.

Thanks!

[Spatech_tuo]

The ozonator is definitely humming.  I put a small hose clamp around the hose just below the black plastic screw-on adapter that keeps the hose connected to the nipple.  The hose is now just as tightly fit to the nipple as before.  I think it should be good from here.  Thank you both for your assistance.  When I do swap out the check valve, do I just pull off the hose on each side of the existing one?  It seems very tight.

Thanks!

The check valves sometimes are hard to remove from the hose but you should have sufficient hose where you can just cut the hose on both side and just start over.